This invention relates generally to a vehicle travel information system, and more particularly to a web-based vehicle travel information system.
In situations where vehicles are utilized to transport people, product, or packages, a prevalent problem is the unpredictability of the arrival of the vehicle at a specific location. Factors contribute to the timeliness of vehicular travel such as inclement weather, traffic flow, vehicle maintenance and other unexpected delays and can effect the schedule of the vehicle. For example, school children who ride buses to school often have to wait at their bus stops for extended lengths of time because school buses arrive at particular bus stops at substantially different times from one day to the next. The arrival times of school buses can be significantly affected by many factors such as maintenance problems, rush hour traffic, and congested urban/suburban conditions. As a result, school children are forced to wait at their bus stops for long periods of time, often times in adverse weather conditions, on unlit street corners, or near busy or secluded streets.
It is known to utilize a system that employs the use of a transmitter on the vehicle and a receiver in the home or office of the user such that when the vehicle comes within a certain range of the receiver, the receiver signals the user that the vehicle is approaching. Additionally it is known to utilize a system that employs a satellite tracking system, such as a global positioning system (GPS), to track the vehicle, a transmitter located on the vehicle, and a base station capable of receiving transmissions and sending a message to the user""s locations notifying the user of the impending arrival of the vehicle. While such systems work satisfactorily under certain circumstances, they are limited in the type of information and flexibility they provide the user.
In an exemplary embodiment, the web based vehicle tracking system includes a passenger identification device that registers when a passenger boards and disembarks a vehicle. The web based vehicle tracking system includes a vehicle information system that is coupled to the vehicle and includes the passenger identification device. The web based vehicle tracking system also includes a base station network administrator, located at a remote site, which monitors the on-board status of a passenger, and communicates with a user communications interface. Using, the user communications interface, located at a user premise, a user accesses the Internet to query passenger on-board status information.
During operation, a vehicle information system processor receives vehicle location data and transmits such data to a base station computer. The base station computer utilizes the vehicle location data and mapping software to generate a current graphical representation of the vehicle location. A user utilizes the user communication interface to access the Internet and view the graphical representation. As a passenger boards the vehicle a passenger boarding identification is input to the passenger identification device. The boarding identification is communicated to the vehicle information system processor that transmits the boarding identification to a base station computer. The base station computer accesses a database and retrieves passenger information that corresponds to the boarding identification. Similarly, when a passenger disembarks, the base station computer receives a disembarking identification and retrieves the corresponding information. The base station computer monitors the on-board status of a passenger and communicates the status to a user upon request from a user, via the user communications interface.